‘Absolutely’: Cheshire fire captain proposes at WTC

What started out as a playful challenge after a chance encounter in the emergency room ended up in a sky-high marriage proposal that went viral.

Cheshire Fire Capt. Jim Busch, 31, proposed on Sunday to Lydia Mazza, 22, who recently joined the department as a volunteer, atop 1 World Trade Center, the same address of the former Twin Towers that were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Busch and Mazza participated in the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation charity climb. This is Busch’s second time running up the 104 floors to honor firefighters who perished while responding to the 9/11 attacks.

“It meant a lot to me, because I’m a firefighter and a lot of firefighters fell at the Towers,” Busch said. “New York City has a special place in my heart.”

So, he thought, wouldn’t it be great to propose to Mazza, a woman near and dear to his heart, in a place near and dear to his heart?

Great idea, but putting this plan into action required a bit of effort, almost like the effort it took for the two of them to become a couple.

Mazza was a newly hired phlebotomist the second week into her job and Busch an intensive care unit nurse at F.F. Thompson Hospital when they crossed paths about 18 months ago. She was nice with patients and she seemed nice herself, Busch recalled.